Sunshine and Daisies Don't Pay the Rent
by broodyleytons
Summary: Veronica, Mac and Dick are all friends and live together in an apartment. What happens when they need rent money? Badly.


**Title**: Sunshine and Daisies Don't Pay the Rent  
**Author**: broodyleytons  
**Characters**: Mac, Dick, and Veronica (eventual MaDi)  
**Summary**: What would happen is Veronica, Mac and Dick all lived together in an apartment with limited funds and Dick painted and wrote fiction? Request from **adja**, Soffy.  
**Disclaimer**: I own nothing!

"What is he doing in there?" Veronica asked Mac as they were sitting at the kitchen table eating salads. The he they were talking about was Dick. He was sitting in the small living room in front of his easel just staring at it. His inspiration was seriously lacking lately and it was starting to scare Veronica because soon the rent was going to be due.

"I think he is looking for inspiration again." Mac mumbled while looking over some new web designs for her online company.

Veronica stabbed at her lettuce and then looked over at Mac, wondering why she wasn't freaking out that Dick hadn't painted something let alone sold a painting in a week. "Mac, could you try and sound a little bit worried?"

Mac stopped what she was doing and looked at Veronica. "Look I know he is a little slow at it right now but he'll bounce back. You just gotta have some faith in him. He needs it more than you know." Mac finished with raising her eyebrows and taking another sip of her tea.

Veronica just nodded and continued to stare at Dick silently.

--

"Still out here Van Gough?" Mac chuckled. Dick got the nickname back in college when she found out he was actually an amazing artist.

"Uh yeah," Dick looked up at Mac in the dimly lit living room. She was dressed for bed and had her robe on with slippers and curlers in her hair. She looked stunning but of course he would never tell her that since they were all friends. "I don't know what to do Mac, it isn't coming to me." He let out a desperate sigh and threw his head into his hands.

Mac felt bad for him and walked over to sit down beside him on the couch, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to bring him closer to her. "You'll find it Dick, I know it. You always had an act for finding inspiration when needed the most. Just clear your head and maybe a good night's sleep will help." She suggested as she stared at the not so blank page in front of them. She could make out faint pencil lines of a face; a face that looked a lot like her own. "Hey, what is this?" She traced the outlines with her index finger then looked over at Dick.

"Nothing," Dick said sadly and laid back against the couch.

Mac continued to stare at it some more, smiling despite herself. She then reclined too and laid her head on his chest, something she did often; mostly when she was stressed. The rhythm of his heart beat calmed her. "Well I think it is a great start and I think you should finish it."

Dick just nodded and rubbed her back.

--

Veronica was in a bad mood already when she walked up to the mailbox in the front lobby. She had lost yet another suspecting wealthy 09er wife to Vinny Van Lowe plus her receptionist quit on her. It wasn't her fault that being her dad's receptionist for six plus years and knowing she was good at it made her correct her own receptionist all the time.

But then she had to pull out the phone bill, which was also the internet bill and cable bill, and noticed as of two minutes ago it was all shut off. "Freakin' Fraktastic!" She mumbled and grabbed the rest of the mail and stuck in under her arm as she hurried up to the apartment.

Running up the stairs had its perks when Veronica wanted them to have perks. The elevator being broken when she seriously needed to have a talk with Dick was definitely not a perk; running up seven flights of stairs was not even on the same side of perky.

"Dick!" She yelled, kind of like a welcoming, and set her stuff down by the door before kicking off her flats and walking to the living room. "Want to play the 'what got shut off today' game or should I just tell you?" She huffed and sat crossed legged on the couch beside him. She took in the not so much blank canvas and noticed their other roommate's face but didn't say anything.

"How about you just tell me." Dick smiled and laid an arm behind Veronica on the couch.

"The cable."

"When you say the cable-"

"I mean the phone, the TV cable and the internet." Veronica nodded.

"Shit," He breathed and rubbed his face over with his hands.

"Yeah my thoughts exactly." Veronica reached for his water bottle and took a sip out of it. "Dick," She began.

"I know," He interrupted.

"Do you? Because I don't know how many times we have had this talk and you are still sitting here Dick." Veronica hated to be pushy, she hated pushy people but they needed Dick to pay his part.

"Look I know Ronnie, I do, but it isn't like your job where you constantly have people asking you to hunt down bail jumpers or filthy rich prestige wives telling you to find out if their husband is cheating on them. My job is solely on me dude and it sucks not having inspiration."

"I know that Dick but sunshine and daisies aren't going to pay the rent either." She explained.

"I know dude seriously! Okay, I promise. And you know I will because I am not about empty promises." Dick rubbed Veronica's shoulder and smiled his famous Casablancas' smile.

"I know but still it is just hard." Veronica softened. Over the years her and Dick had become closer friends. After melting the ice around her heart after Logan married Parker and Piz cheated on her and her father's death, she was finally able to let Dick in. Of course she had always had Mac but Dick just seemed to understand a little bit more with other things like a family member dying.

She felt his arm coming down and pulling her to him to hug her. "I know Ronnie, I know."

She just nodded.

--

Mac came home a few hours later and saw that Veronica had already gone to bed since she had a long day and that Dick had actually moved from his spot and was sitting at the kitchen table with his laptop. That thing was like attached to his hip most days.

"Hey," She greeted with a pause in her step at the entry way to the kitchen.

"Hey Mackie," He briefly looked up at her and then went back to typing furiously.

She squinted at him but then opened the fridge for some left over lo mein. "What are you working on that has you assaulting the keyboard like that?" She raised an eyebrow and started to walk over to him. Then he shut his laptop fast. "Whoa…" She laughed, then turned around when the microwave beeped.

"Sorry, work in progress." Dick smiled and stood to walk over to her. He grabbed two forks out of the squeaky drawer and used one to snag himself some food before happily handing her the other.

"Hey!" She threatened but Dick could still hear the laughter in her voice.

"Hey yourself baby, but when we all moved in with each other everything of yours became mine as well." He shrugged and picked his lap top up to walk out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Mac followed him and smirked. "That's only with marriage, we are just roommates." She plopped down beside him on the couch and turned on the TV.

Dick just stared at her in awe. She was so gorgeous and all he could think about is how it was more distracting than helping him so he took another bite of her Chinese and got up to go to his room to work.

--

"I just don't think he is trying!" Veronica whispered to Mac.

"He is V, he is!!" Mac tried to convince Veronica, and herself, that Dick was trying but all she was see him do was sit and work on the laptop.

"You can't honestly think that!"

"I don't, I know that Veronica. I know that he will make it and I know that he can do it. Maybe you should try having some faith in him too." Mac whispered once more but harsher then walked out of Veronica's room. She was shocked to see Dick leaning against his doorframe with a solemn face and looking to the ground. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that you guys think I am a failure." He said in such a sad voice it made Mac want to cry. Cry or smack Veronica.

"Hey, I so don't think you are a failure! And neither does Veronica but you know she is all work and miss responsibility until things are taken care of." Mac grabbed Dick's arm and pulled him into her room. "We are just pressed for time and money and you my parents can't help us and I am pulling all the over time I can do and business is bad for V, apparently Neptune has gone good this month. We just need the money or we are going to have to move out." Mac confessed.

"I know," Dick sighed and looked down at his hands and saw Mac's hand reach over to his and squeeze it. "So we're okay?" He asked.

"Of course we are okay Dick, why would you think we weren't?"

"Because I suck at life." Dick chuckled.

"Hey, you say that one more time I am going to have to hit you." Mac got in his face.

Dick stared into her eyes and felt his face gravitating towards hers. He was about to go in for the taking when they heard Veronica yell "Who is ready for Yatze night?!" then he pulled away and smiled. "You think we can beat her four weeks in a row?"

Mac just stared at him this time and nodded. Everything kind of slowed down as Dick jumped up and down briefly and smacked the wall beside the door as he walked out of the bedroom.

"Huh, odd…" She could have sworn he was going to kiss her.

--

"Hey, at the risk of sounding blunt did you try and kiss me last night?" Mac asked at the foot of Dick's bed. She had tried going to sleep but it just didn't happen and she knew she had to ask him.

Dick thought about it and realized it was time to tell her. "Uh yeah,"

"Why?"

"Well there are a lot of reasons Mackie, too many for two AM." He smiled cockily.

"What is the main reason then?" She asked and walked over to the side of the bed he was laying on.

"I wanted to taste it."

Mac crinkled her brows at him. "Taste what?" _Is he trying to be dirty? I don't like dirty Dick._

"Inspiration." Dick nodded behind her to his finished masterpiece.

Mac gasped at how beautiful the painting was. It was of her in her work clothes from some evening where she was laughing at something Veronica had said since her blonde hair was somewhat visible on the side.

"Wow, Dick that is…that's beautiful." She turned around and found him right there, in front of her, silently asking her all sorts of questions and telling her all kinds of secrets with his breath on her face. Suddenly the past few months made a whole lot of sense to her. Him always being there to talk (more than usual), the secret stares, more friendly kissing. "Dick…" She breathed and then pushed herself up on her toes to catch his lips with her own.

As soon as her lips were on his he wrapped his arms around her to pull her up more. Her hands found his hair and were tugging at it with need and want. Their tongues fought as Mac found herself wrapping her legs around his waist.

Soon Dick laid them down on the bed and broke off the kiss to look into her eyes. "I really want to be with you right now Mac, but I can understand-"

"Shhh, I am okay with this." She whispered and placed her hands on the sides of his face and smiled so big that it literally made Dick's legs go weak.

"Okay good because I don't think I could last that long." He wiggled his eyebrows and then started to untie the draw strings on her pajamas.

_Okay so maybe dirty Dick isn't that bad…_

--

"Dick, have you sold anything, at all? Maybe body parts?"

Dick rolled his eyes and continued reading the paper.

"Hello! Doofus!" She threw a muffin at his head.

"What the hell Ronnie! Those are your home made muffins!"

"And?" Veronica urged threateningly with another muffin.

"And! They are hard as fucking rocks. Like your heart!" He yelled.

"OH YOU LITTLE…!" She was about to throw another and then she got hit in the head with something, guessing it to be a muffin as well, by Mac.

"Hey! That is my boyfriend, only I can hurt him." Mac said as she took a seat, the seat being Dick's lap.

"Whoa! Back the bus up. You two are dating? When did this happen?" Veronica set the muffin down and took a sip of her orange juice.

"Last night." Dick smiled and patted Mac's side.

"Ohhhh I see, well it took you two long enough." Veronica snatched the paper out of Dick's hands and began reading it.

Dick and Mac just rolled their eyes.

"But here look you two." Dick laid a check addressed to him on the table.

The check was for more money then Veronica and Mac had ever seen put together. "Holy shit Dick!" Veronica grabbed the check and brought up close to her face with wide eyes.

Mac just smiled and kissed him. "I knew you could do it baby." She kissed him some more before he had to get up to go grab something.

"You didn't like kill people or something? You know, murder for hire?" Veronica asked while he was out of the room.

"No, I did this." He laid two hard back books on the table; one for Mac and one for Veronica.

Mac was shocked to say the least and Veronica just looked at the cover; _Sunshine and Daisies Don't Pay the Rent, written by Dick Casablancas. _

"What is this about Dick?" Mac asked.

"How about you two smarties open it and find out." Dick nudged her with a kiss.

They complied and opened the books to see the dedication page.

_To the blonde and petite PI that inspired this book and to the love of my life: my patient roommates._

"What is this Dick?" Veronica asked.

"I believe that is a dedication page. Writer's use it to dedicate their novels to."

"I know that but a book Dick? When did you write it?" Veronica asked as she flipped through the pages.

"All these days I have been at home I have been writing. I told you that I would pay the rent."

**the end.**


End file.
